“I didn’t!” Fu Zheng stuck out his neck in denial, looking hurt as he stared at Tao Zhi.
Tao Zhi: “…”
“Look at your tone and attitude.” Xu Yujia sighed in disappointment.
With such a bad temper, how could he win the goddess’s heart!
Xu Yujia beckoned to Tao Zhi. “Mian Mian, come here to me.”
Tao Zhi glanced sideways. When his gaze met Fu Si Heng beside Xu Yujia, he hesitated and was about to refuse when Xu Yujia suddenly had a look of realization. She pushed Fu Si Heng. “Go to the side.”
Tao Zhi: “…”
Fine.
Tao Zhi obediently walked over.
–
Twenty minutes later, the four arrived at the resort’s water log cabins.
The wooden houses stood in the water, connected to the riverbank by a long wooden walkway.
Tao Zhi had never stayed in a place like this before; it felt quite novel. Xu Yujia was very kind to him too, giving him the room with the best view. After setting down his backpack, Tao Zhi walked to the window. In view were distant mountains and emerald river water.
The pleasant mood temporarily eased Tao Zhi’s anxiety, but soon he heard voices from the corridor.
Very familiar ones. Tao Zhi instinctively went to the door and overheard their conversation.
“What’s up with you today? Mian Mian seems a bit scared of you.”
“Not scared.”
“How do you know?”
“Of course I know.”
Xu Yujia: “…”
“Anyway, can you tone it down?” Xu Yujia faced away from Tao Zhi’s room, lowering her voice as she admonished Fu Si Heng. “This is my son’s crush, his goddess, who might become his girlfriend—my daughter-in-law. Provided you don’t mess things up, we need his classmate to have a good impression of our family. Can you stop pulling that long face?”
“Don’t make her think our family is either childish idiots or cold-faced weirdos.”
“Can’t you help your brother?”
Xu Yujia grew worried as she spoke, starting to fret over Fu Zheng.
She had no notions of needing family alliances. Her eldest son managed the family business well; they lacked no money and had no intentions of elevating the group through marriages of convenience, alliances, or benefit swaps.
In matters of love, she believed as long as her son liked them, it was fine. She did not care about background, so she valued this first meeting highly.
After all, for someone with Fu Zheng’s personality to call her his goddess and secret crush, it could not possibly be just playing around.
He truly liked her.
Xu Yujia: “We all need to take this seriously.”
Fu Si Heng: “Not pulling a face.”
Xu Yujia: “?”
Just one sentence?
Xu Yujia’s emotions were complicated, but she retorted, “You are.”
“You’re unhappy.”
“What exactly are you unhappy about? Because I only care about your brother and not you? But you don’t have anyone you like.”
Fu Si Heng: “Not unhappy.”
“They won’t make it.”
The two talked past each other, chatting for quite a while.
Xu Yujia: “?”
“Don’t say weird stuff.”
Fu Si Heng tugged at his lips.
After a few seconds of silence: “You like her a lot?”
“Who?” Xu Yujia did not catch on.
Fu Si Heng: “Mian Mian.”
Xu Yujia: “Oh, yeah, I like her. Such an obedient little girl.”
“Honestly, I was always scared Fu Zheng’s taste would be for those dark, edgy types—you know, the scary kind.”
“Fine, as long as you like her.” Fu Si Heng said, “She’ll become family anyway.”
???
Xu Yujia did not understand what he meant. “So do you believe in your brother or not? One moment you say they won’t make it, the next she’ll become family.”
Fu Si Heng: “Nothing.”
“Your words are so weird.” Xu Yujia fell into thought.
Fu Si Heng: “Not weird.”
While speaking with Xu Yujia, Fu Si Heng saw Tao Zhi step out from behind the door.
But when he looked over, Tao Zhi immediately shrank back, vanishing without a trace.
Xu Yujia noticed Fu Si Heng’s gaze and looked back too, but saw nothing.
…
Inside the room, Tao Zhi nearly died of fright.
He had heard every word of Fu Si Heng and Xu Yujia’s conversation clearly, terrified that the next second Fu Si Heng would reveal the truth to his mother.
…Especially after saying something like she’d become family sooner or later.
Fortunately, his mom did not understand.
But Tao Zhi felt no relief at all.
He still had not resolved his worry about Fu Si Heng causing him trouble, and now a new problem arose. He absolutely could not let Fu Si Heng reveal their relationship.
In Xu Yujia’s mind now, he was the one Fu Zheng liked.
If her younger son’s crush turned out to be in a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship with her eldest…
It was a total mess, like a pot of porridge.
Tao Zhi wondered if he should clarify things with Fu Si Heng and explain.
Would he listen?
Beg him to keep their relationship secret for now—
As he pondered, two knocks sounded at the door. Tao Zhi froze slightly, his eyelashes trembling. He had a good guess who it was.
Finally, the moment arrived.
Tao Zhi swallowed, paused for a few seconds, then went to open the door.
As expected, it was Fu Si Heng outside.
Just Fu Si Heng alone. Tao Zhi poked his head out, looked left and right—no Xu Yujia, no Fu Zheng. He hurriedly grabbed Fu Si Heng’s arm and pulled him inside.
“Brother Fu.” Tao Zhi called out, lips trembling.
Fu Si Heng hummed in acknowledgment.
Then neither knew what to say next.
Tao Zhi stood awkwardly against the wall like a child who had done wrong. Fu Si Heng approached him.
He came right up to him, arm braced against the wall by Tao Zhi’s head, waist slightly bent as he looked down at him.
Fu Si Heng completely blocked Tao Zhi.
Their size difference was too great. Fu Si Heng’s tall frame could fully envelop him, casting a shadow like a cage that trapped him.
Tao Zhi’s gaze was forced to his jawline.
Sharp lines and prominent Adam’s apple met his eyes, with prominent veins on his neck—intensely oppressive and aggressive.
In that instant, Tao Zhi’s eyes grew dazed.
Fu Si Heng: “Anything you want to say to me?”
Tao Zhi: “…Why are you here?”
